Ann Widdecombe may have been killed 24 hours before her body was found

A forensic police officer at Ann Widdecombe’s house on Dartmoor on Saturday. Photograph: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images View image in fullscreen A forensic police officer at Ann Widdecombe’s house on Dartmoor on Saturday. Photograph: Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images Ann Widdecombe may have been killed 24 hours before her body was found Devon police working on assumption the former politician was attacked on Wednesday afternoon Ann Widdecombe: obituary Ann Widdecombe may have been dead at her home for 24 hours before her body was discovered, police believe. In an update on Saturday afternoon, officers said they were working on the assumption that the 78-year-old former politician was attacked at about 12.30pm on Wednesday. The ambulance service found Widdecombe’s body at her bungalow in Haytor, Devon , at 11.40am on Thursday. View image in fullscreen Ann Widdecombe speaks during a rally of the Brexit party in Peterborough in 2019. Photograph: Simon Dawson/Reuters A 26-year-old man arrested in Newton Abbott on Friday in connection with the investigation was released without charge early on Saturday and is no longer part of the inquiry. Assistant chief constable Matt Longman of Devon and Cornwall police said Widdecombe’s death was being treated as suspicious, but the force did not believe there was a wider risk to the public. “Our inquiries are moving at pace for a suspect who is believed to be a white male,” he said. “I would appeal to anyone who may have information about this incident, however insignificant it may seem, to come forward and speak with us. “Our priority remains identifying those responsible and ensuring that all available evidence is thoroughly examined. “Detectives continue to carry out numerous inquiries as part of the ongoing investigation and we remain committed to establishing the full circumstances surrounding the incident.” View image in fullscreen A police officer searches a wall near the home Ann Widdecombe. Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters The force said on Friday that Widdecombe’s death was not being treated as terrorism and there was no information to suggest it had been a politically motivated crime. “I would ask people not to speculate about what might have happened, particularly on social media,” Longman said. “This is not only potentially harmful to our investigation but also deeply distressing for family and friends of Miss Widdecombe. “The family have also asked for their privacy to be respected as they come to terms with what has happened. “We have set up a major incident public portal for information, images or footage to be submitted to us. This can be found on our website. Information can also be passed anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers.” The Guardian understands that police have pieced together a timeline of Widdecombe’s last movements with the help of information from television producers. A former Conservative minister who later became a member of Reform UK, she made her last television appear